Middle East - Carnegie Endowment

Between Government and Opposition: The Case of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform

Amr Hamzawy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Yemen’s Islamist Congregation for Reform party (Islah) faces deep internal divisions on key issues, and its fractious composition prevents it from developing a clear parliamentary platform, leaving the party with no clear path toward the reforms it seeks.

Commodity Prices Are Staging a Modest Rebound

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Although commodity prices are slowly recovering from their dramatic decline, weak demand growth will moderate the rebound. However, low investment now may establish conditions for another price boom in the longer term.

Iran and the West at a Crossroad

Deepti Choubey — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Iran's refusal to export its enriched uranium as part of a deal to assuage concerns that it is developing nuclear weapons could have serious consequences, including unifying the major powers to adopt harsher legal and economic measures.

Collision Course—Yemen's Converging Crises

Christopher Boucek — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Yemen has always been on the verge of crisis. Throughout its history the country has never known complete stability, and governance has always bordered on chaotic. However, the situation is now rapidly deteriorating, with potentially devastating results.

Could This be Turkey's Century in the Middle East?

Paul Salem — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

While it is a positive development that a functional, democratic and pragmatic country like Turkey is playing a larger role in the Arab and Islamic world, it could also mean the beginning of a new round of confrontations if no progress is made in the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Tunisia: Beyond Illusions of Change

Amel Boubekeur — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Tunisia appears stable, but only because of systematic media censorship and a lack of information about human-rights violations. The international community would do a real service for the country if they encouraged true reform.

The Tunisian Elections: International Community Must Insist on Moving Beyond Façade Democracy

Amel Boubekeur — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

While Tunisian President Ben Ali’s reelection to a fifth term is a foregone conclusion, the international community must press him to institute real political change and move beyond a superficial illusion of pluralism.

Iran: Can Obama Play Hardball?

Robert Kagan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

To effectively end Iran's nuclear program, Obama should abandon diplomatic ideals of engagement and instead immediately begin imposing new sanctions.

Two Difficult Tracks Launched as Arab World Absent

Paul Salem — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

While Barack Obama has re-launched Israeli-Palestinian talks and begun negotiations with Iran, the Arab world has remained virtually absent.

“Fixing Broken Windows”: Security Sector Reform in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen

Yezid Sayigh — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The bulk of development aid in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen has consisted of military training and equipment, which does nothing to ensure that security forces answer to legitimate civilian leaders.